Togo’s economy grew by 5.5% for a five-year period, ending in 2016, which is higher than in most Sub-Saharan countries. Though there have been great strides in the history of the nation, Togo suffers from extreme poverty. According to UNICEF, “81.2% of Togo’s rural population lives below the poverty line (on less than 2USD$/day), making it one of the world’s poorest countries. Poverty affects both men and women, however, women are affected more disproportionately
The goal of this program is to reduce and eliminate extreme poverty within the country of Togo by addressing social determinants of poverty, specifically through the pillars of 1) Women’s Empowerment, 2) Education and Training, and 3) Healthcare Access and Improvement.
We expect our experience and success with this program, focused on measuring and achieving certain deliverable, will encourage other organizations to accelerate their own poverty eradication efforts and provide a platform for HCI to launch expanded poverty eradication initiatives.
The program
To meet the important sustainability goals, HCI seeks to implement a (pilot) program, entitled Stable and Empowered Women (SEW) Girls Can Learn Program.
The program will focus on supervising and promoting initially 4 women in their development efforts by establishing a Center of Vocational Training in sewing and embroidery. A key goal of the program is to prepare the participants to pass the national certification examination for sewing and embroidery, which will position them for financial empowerment. Additional goals of the program will focus on:
-
preparing women for their journey to entrepreneurship via training in business and financial management acumen;
-
participating in micro-financing seminars aimed at securing a loan for business development; and
-
legal seminars focused on protecting business assets under current legal and customary frameworks.
-
Basic computer literacy
-
Life skills and other risky behavior avoidance education